A city council has installed special barriers around the local Christmas market. Yet it’s strangely coy about why
Birmingham City Council has just made a very important announcement. To keep people safe while visiting the local Christmas market, it’s installed “Hostile Vehicle Mitigation” bollards. “These measures,” explained the council in a cheerful video for social media, “stop hostile vehicles from entering pedestrian areas, so you can enjoy the famous Frankfurt Christmas Market with confidence.”
Good to hear. All the same, I do find one aspect of this statement surprising.
I didn’t know vehicles could be hostile.
2025: Birmingham City Council celebrates the installation of “hostile vehicle mitigation” bollards to “keep everyone safe”. pic.twitter.com/3HYCVjkU9w
— (@tempestvista) December 18, 2025
